Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Saving Butterflies In The City: Gardens As Conservation Spaces In Urban Landscapes., Lindsay D. Nason

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Butterfly populations are declining, and habitat degradation due to urbanization is a major contributing factor. Gardens represent a large proportion of land area in many cities, and thus may be important for conserving butterflies in urban environments. In this dissertation, I examine how garden features (ex: size, level of urbanization, plant diversity) affect adult butterfly diversity/abundance, behavior, and the predation risk faced by caterpillars. My study sites were native plant gardens in Jefferson, Bullitt, and Hardin Cos.,KY. In Chapter One, I used clay caterpillars to assess differences in predation pressure in gardens along a gradient of percent impervious surface (%IS). …

Not All Pollinator Gardens Are Created Equally: Determining Factors Pertinent To Improving Pollinator Garden Effectiveness, Travis Watson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Increasing evidence documenting the decline of insect populations, resulting from increasing human disturbances has resulted in efforts to establish pollinator gardens to provide additional resources for insect populations. However, our understanding of biotic and abiotic garden characteristics important for attracting and sustaining pollinator diversity is limited. Here, we evaluated 17 pollinator gardens to evaluate the effect of five biotic and three abiotic garden characteristics on pollinator species richness, abundance, and proportional representation of four pollinator functional groups. Plant species richness positively influenced pollinator richness and negatively influenced flower visitation. Bombus proportional abundance responded to several variables (distance to vegetation, plant …

An Experiment To Test For Rapid Evolution In An Introduced Ectomycorrhizal Symbiosis, Valerie Rewa

Honors Theses

The rapid evolution of introduced ectomycorrhizal-plant partnerships is an under- explored topic that may have immense impacts on ecosystems around the world. This experiment sought to identify and quantify this evolution and its impacts on both fungal colonization as well as plant growth. I used a laboratory experiment to analyze these factors in native and exotic genotypes of Suillus cothurnatus and Pinus species. Much of the data was not able to be collected, but that which was did not support the presence of rapid evolution in the mutualistic partnership. Pine species was seen to have a significant effect on plant …

Taphonomy Of Late Jurassic (Tithonian) Morrison Formation Apatosaurus Sp. Vertebrae Found Associated With Teeth From Allosaurus Sp. And Ceratosaurus Sp., And Body Size Extrapolation From The Associated Theropod Teeth., Greg C. Agyan

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

An Apatosaurus sp. locality from Dinosaur National Monument designated DNM-15 was excavated in 1985, and associated with two Allosaurus teeth and one Ceratosaurus tooth that were near one of the caudal vertebrae. The Ceratosaurus tooth was buried between an overlying rib and that same caudal vertebra. The caudal vertebrae of the DNM-15 Apatosaurus were intact and articulated, but the anterior skeleton was mostly absent, with a row of articulated sacral vertebrae in close association with a femur. Two other Allosaurus teeth were reported near the preserved ilium of the Apatosaurus, but they could not be located in the collections. …

Trophic Ecology Of Mesopelagic Fish Larvae And Juveniles In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Emily Gipson

Master's Theses

The deep-pelagic environment encompasses ocean waters below 200 m depth, and comprises 90% of the volume of the Gulf of Mexico. Deep-pelagic fishes are important prey for many oceanic consumers, but relatively little is known about their early life history, including larval fish trophic ecology. An understanding of the role deep-pelagic fish larvae have in oceanic food webs is important in the development of ecosystem models that examine the connectivity (via vertical migrations) between the deep-pelagic and epipelagic environments with respect to trophic interactions, nutrient cycling, and carbon sequestration. In this study, archived plankton samples collected during 2010 and 2011 …

Making Environmental Education Accessible For All Students: Inclusion Of Students With Emotional And Behavioral Disabilities, Juliann Dupuis, Dawn Jacobs

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

One of the most difficult tasks of an educator is engaging students in rigorous learning opportunities. A greater challenge is finding ways in which environmental education can be accessible to all students, especially those with emotional and behavioral disabilities. This article and lesson provides best practices for engaging students with high incidence disabilities in environmental concepts through varied representations and expressions of content. In addition, teaching collaborative protocols to fully engage students with social skills challenges within the local environment are discussed. The instructional approaches are aligned to increasing academic discourse, building positive peer-peer relationships, and observation using multiple modalities.

Seasonal Plumage Condition Variation And The Thermal Value Of The Feather Coats Of House Sparrows (Passer Domesticus), Jordana Mf Graveley, Margaret Rubega, Kevin R. Burgio

Honors Scholar Theses

Feathers are critical to how birds thermoregulate, and thus their total energy balance. The feather coat insulates birds by trapping air next to the skin and acting as a physical barrier to heat loss. Despite previous work studying thermal balance in birds, relatively few studies have focused on the thermal contribution of the feather coat alone; most studies have focused on physiological and behavioral responses. Moreover, to our knowledge, no studies have directly measured the effect of feather wear through the annual cycle on the thermal performance of the feather coat. To address this, we used a thermal camera to …

Earth Law And The Rights Of Nature A New Generation Of Laws Built For Nature, Lindsey Kayman, Paul Bartlett, Milena Popov, Grant Wilson

Open Educational Resources

Earth Law and the Rights of Nature: A New Generation of Laws Built for Nature

Wilson, Grant, Kayman, Lindsey, Bartlett, Paul, and Milena Popov John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Earth Law Center, Environmental Education Fund

Forget doom and gloom. Let’s educate students about the Rights of Nature, an inspiring, evolving legal development which is gaining traction in the US and around the world, and which can promote the cultural shift needed to address our overlapping intersecting environmental crises — climate change, accelerating species extinction, and ecosystem collapse. The Rights of Nature is one aspect of Earth Law. Some of …

Density Dependent Growth Of Pseudomonas Fluorescens In The Presence And Absence Of C. Elegans Predation In Liquid Media, Jack Landmann

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to understand the predator-prey relationship between C. elegans worms and P. fluorescens bacteria in liquid media. We were aiming to create a predation model of the relationship between these two species.

This study was performed through three experiments. Using 96-well plates, we were able to measure the change in optical density (OD) of these wells and calculate the growth rate. This growth rate was then graphed and analyzed. The first experiment contained P. fluorescens and KB liquid media, this study demonstrated that the bacterial population has a carrying capacity. We were also able to …

Historical Ecology Of The San Diego Sport Fishery: Catch Composition, Species Trends, And Fishing Effort From 1959 To 2011, Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg

Theses

Like ocean systems around the world, species targeted by the San Diego sportfishery are subject to myriad threats from human activity, with several species already showing documented decline. However, long-term fisheries datasets are often lacking, limiting natural resource managers’ ability to appropriately manage these ecologically and economically important species. Therefore, this study used daily reports published in two Southern California newspapers to examine changes in catch composition, effort, and catch per unit effort (CPUE) from 1959-2011 for the San Diego commercial passenger fishing vessel (CPFV) sportfishery. This study then tested the relationship between those patterns and three large scale oceanographic …

Functions And Applications Of Critical Zone Observatory Of Luancheng Agro-Ecosystem Experimental Station, Chinese Academy Of Sciences (Luancheng Critical Zone Observatory), Yanjun Shen, Leilei Min, Lin Wu, Yan-Jun Shen, Hongjun Li, Guanglu Zhang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The Luancheng Agro-Ecosystem Experimental Station, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is located in the piedmont plain area of North China Plain and the middle section of the Taihang Mountain alluvial plain. It is a typical representative of the high-yield agricultural eco-system in the groundwater irrigation area. Due to the large-scale and high-intensity agricultural production in recent decades, the regional groundwater has been seriously over exploited, and the risk of groundwater pollution has increased. However, the surface agro-ecosystem and aquifer are separated by thick vadose zones, hence the mechanism of the impact of surface agricultural activities on the quantity and quality …

Discovery Of Epiphytic Lichens In Connecticut Suggests Novel Introduction And Reintroduction Via Horticultural Practices, Henry A. Frye, Zachary Muscavitch, Bernard Goffinet

EEB Articles

The discovery of Teloschistes chrysophthalmus in Connecticut more than one hundred years since its last known occurrence is argued to result from human introduction. The species only occurred on the horticultural tree, Gleditsia triacanthos var. inermis, planted on the University of Connecticut campus. Gleditsia triacanthos is not indigenous to northeastern North America, but is widespread in the central United States. Other epiphytic macrolichens also recorded on this phorophyte include Punctelia bolliana and Parmotrema austrosinense, both widespread in the central United States, and new to Connecticut and New England, respectively. This is likely the first reported case of combined …

Correlation Between Abundance Of Fossils In Harvester Ant Nest And Proximity Of Fossil Sites, Hayeong Woo

Campus Research Month

Harvester ants have an interesting behavior of bone collecting. Therefore, harvester ant nests that are positioned around the fossil sites contain various fossil fragments. If there is a statistically significant correlation between the abundance of fossil fragments and the distance of the ant nests from the main fossil sites, ant nests can potentially be used to predict the proximity of the main fossil sites.

Adaptive Plasticity Of Coloration In Response To Environmental Change, Karissa Coffield

Scholars Week

When rapid environmental changes occur, different selective forces can create phenotypic trade-offs in which a trait can provide fitness benefits or costs under different environmental conditions. Amphibians are particularly vulnerable to environmental change, and previous research has revealed that some species will plastically respond to variation in temperature and ultra-violet radiation (UVR) by altering their coloration. Divergent selection on coloration may change with elevation and climate induced shifts in temperature because high temperatures are likely to result in lighter color morphs but as elevation increases, UVR exposure increases leading to the prediction that darker color morphs will be more common. …

Insect Hotels: A Biological Remedy For The Survivability Of Insects And The Human Species, Lewis University

Sustainability

No abstract provided.

Ecological Impacts Of Apiaries, Lewis University

Sustainability

The Come Clean, Go Green competition is a program dedicated to making Lewis a more sustainable campus with ideas from Lewis Students across all disciplines. The program is sponsored by the Lewis University Sustainability Council and supported by, the sustainability fee, which was approved last year. The fee will fund the implementation of sustainability projects on campus that are chosen by students.

Warming Stimulates Sporulation Rates And Alters Community Structure Of Litter-Associated Fungi In Streamside Channel Experiment, Kaitlin D. Beasley-Polko

Honors Theses

Fungi, such as aquatic hyphomycetes, are important decomposers of plant litter in temperate forested headwater streams providing energy and nutrients for the higher trophic levels in these ecosystems. According to current climate change predictions, stream water temperatures are expected to rise significantly in the near future. This project addressed the effects of temperature on sporulation rates and community structure of aquatic hyphomycetes on substrates of different carbon quality (maple and rhododendron leaf litter and wood veneers). The experiment was conducted in streamside channels fed with stream water (ambient, +2°C and +4°C) and set up to mimic small streams. We found …

A Comparison Of The Effects Of Ionizing Radiation On Wild Boar Populations In The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone And The Fukushima Exclusion Zone, Victoria Bosch

Senior Theses

Humans are usually evacuated following a nuclear power plant (NPP) accident; however, the wildlife remains in the surrounding area that is blanketed in radionuclides. Despite the known effects of exposure to ionizing radiation on an individual’s health, the effects on wildlife remain unclear. The exclusion zones surrounding the Chernobyl NPP and Fukushima NPP accident sites provide an ideal study system to examine how mammal populations are influenced by chronic, low-dose radiation exposure. The present study examines wild boar abundance and reproductive success in both locations to determine how not only radiation exposure but also the sudden changes in human disturbance …

Morph- And Sex-Specific Differences In Corticosterone Of The Arizona Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma Mavortium Nebulosum), Megan Zerger

Scholars Week

Life history morph, sex, and body condition are traits that may influence stress within salamander populations because of differences in physiology and environmental conditions. Given widespread declines and the effects chronic stress can have on amphibian health, it is important to understand within-population drivers of stress and how population level variation may influence population viability. Thus, the objective of our study was to assess how corticosterone varies within the Arizona tiger salamander (Ambystoma mavortium nebulosum) population at the Mexican Cut Nature Preserve. We used a non-invasive skin swabbing method to collect baseline and elevated corticosterone from paedomorph (aquatic …

Comparison Of Gray Squirrel (Sciurus Carolinensis) And Fox Squirrel (Sciurus Niger) In Order To Explore Genes That Confer A Fitness Advantage, Joshua Franzen

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Mutations in the MC1R gene is associated with melanism, or black fur, and the presence of a 24 base pair deletion in the MC1R gene of fox and gray squirrels suggests a shared ancestry between the two species. This could be due to a mutation in a common ancestor or previous mating between species. Evidence has shown that the most likely cause for the presence of MC1R in both species is previous mating between species. If this did occur, then it is possible that other genes traveled between species along with the mutated MC1R gene. Conserved genes shared between species …

Geographic Distribution: Eleutherodactylus Coqui (Common Coqui). Usa: Florida., Louis A. Somma

Papers in Herpetology

A geographic interception record for Eleutherodactylus coqui in Suwanee County, Florida.

Geographic Distribution: Iguana Iguana (Green Iguana): Usa: Florida., Louis A. Somma, Mark T. Bailey

Papers in Herpetology

A geographic distribution record for Iguana iguana in Marion County, Florida.

Monitoring For Wolves, Jeff Hansen, Cat Urbigkit

Wildlife Damage Management Technical Series

Gray wolves (Canis lupus) and Mexican wolves (Canis lupus baileyi) once again roam across landscapes where they have been absent for decades (Figure 1). With wolf range expansion comes increased opportunities for conflicts when wolves harass or prey on domestic livestock or other animals. Wolves have relatively high reproductive and dispersal rates but detecting individual animals in low-density populations is difficult without a concerted monitoring effort. In fact, wolf presence in an area often is not known until there is a confirmed livestock depredation. Ranchers and wildlife damage management experts need not wait for livestock depredations to occur before wolves …

Using Aerial Photogrammetry And Sexually Dimorphic Measurements To Investigate Seasonal Differences In School Composition Of Delphinus Spp. Off Southern California, Samantha Gm Leander

Theses

Insights into school composition can provide a means to understand basic biology and ecology, including reproductive patterns. They can also be applied to conservation assessments, allowing for better understanding of the potentially differential vulnerability of demographic groups to natural or anthropogenic disturbances that may influence their populations. However, the two subspecies of common dolphins in the waters off California (Delphinus delphis delphis and D. d. bairdii) form large, energetic groups that make characterization of school composition difficult. Remotely controlled drones now offer the opportunity for the study of school composition in Delphinus spp., allowing for precise morphometric measurements …

Mangrove Gastropods As Biomonitors For Heavy Metal Contamination, Farhathul Manas

Student Works (2020-2029)

A process called biomonitoring can be used to analyze the factors that affect the ecosystem. In this study, gastropods and sediments were used to observeits impact on the study sites under the Klang Islands Mangrove Forest Reserve (KIMFR): Pulau Klang (Klang Island), Pulau Carey (Carey Island) and Telok Gong representing the natural mangrove, agricultural and industrial environments, respectively. Environmental monitoring was performed using gastropods and sediments that were collected and tested for heavy metals including arsenic (As), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg). The inductive coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used for heavy metal testing in gastropods whereas …

Mussel Musings On The Powell River, Aggy Vanderpool

Cumberland Mountain Naturalist

No abstract provided.

A New Vine Snake (Reptilia, Colubridae, Oxybelis) From Peru And Redescription Of O. Acuminatus, Robert C. Jadin, Michael J. Jowers, Sarah A. Orlofske, William E. Duellman, Christopher Blair, John C. Murphy

Publications and Research

The Brown Vine Snake, Oxybelis aeneus, was until recently considered a single species, distributed from southern Arizona through the Neotropics into southeastern Brazil. However, newly conducted research restructured the species with a substantial taxonomic revision, recognizing five additional taxa (i.e. O. koehleri, O. microphthalmus, O. potosiensis, O. rutherfordi, O. vittatus) in this species complex. This revision focused on populations in North America, Central America, and northern South America while neglecting the southern portion of its distribution. Here, we examine the taxonomic history of the complex and use it along with specimen data to resurrect O. acuminatus from southeastern Brazil. Finally, …

A Record Of Vapour Pressure Deficit Preserved In Wood And Soil Across Biomes, Adrian Broz, Gregory J. Retallack, Toby M. Maxwell, Lucas C.R. Silva

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The drying power of air, or vapour pressure deficit (VPD), is an important measurement of potential plant stress and productivity. Estimates of VPD values of the past are integral for understanding the link between rising modern atmospheric carbon dioxide (pCO₂) and global water balance. A geological record of VPD is needed for paleoclimate studies of past greenhouse spikes which attempt to constrain future climate, but at present there are few quantitative atmospheric moisture proxies that can be applied to fossil material. Here we show that VPD leaves a permanent record in the slope (S) of least-squares …

Data Repository For "Use Of Redwood Basal Hollows By Bats: A Focus On The Townsend’S Big-Eared Bat On The North Coast Of California", Amon J. Armstrong

Research Data Sets

Loss of roosting resources, either through disturbance or removal, negatively affects bats. Identifying sensitive species and determining roost requirements are critical components in conserving their habitat. Cavity roosting bats on the North Coast of California are known to use hollows in large redwood trees. In this study, we examined the factors determining the use of basal tree hollows by different bat species at eight redwood forest sites in Del Norte, Humboldt, and Mendocino Counties, California. Bat guano was collected from 179 basal hollow roosts from 2017 to 2018, and guano mass was used as an index of roosting activity. Nine …

Understanding Patterns And Functional Impacts Of An Invasive Tree And Its Biological Control In A Riparian System, Annie L. Henry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Invasive species have become an inextricable part of the landscape, particularly in riparian plant communities, and removal is often a key component of restoration programs. Biological control (biocontrol) is a method of removal that is often both efficient and effective. However, the impact of biocontrol on target species and indirect effects from invasive species removal can be hard to predict. While monitoring the impact of invasive species removal usually involves some species-based assessment such as changes in diversity, historically dominant species or native species, these strategies do not typically provide insight into the mechanisms underlying plant community response to removal. …